WISE Ticket to Work Webinar
Choosing a Service Provider That’s Right for You!
January 27, 2021

Speakers: Sarah Hyland (Moderator), Ray Cebula (Presenter)

SARAH>> Hello everyone. Good afternoon and welcome today's Ticket to Work webinar, Choosing a Service Provider That's Right for You. My name is Sarah Hyland, and I am a member of the Ticket to Work team. I will be your moderator for today's webinar. 

We are so glad that you are able to take time to spend with us today to learn about Social Security Ticket to Work program and how it can help you as you start on the path to financial independence through work. Each of us has our own path to follow, and we hope you find some information today that will assist you in moving forward on your path to employment and financial independence. 

Let's get started by going over some functions of the webinar platform so that you can interact and get the most of today's webinar. First, you can manage your audio by using the Audio option at the top of your screen. The Audio option is an icon that looks like a microphone or a telephone. 

All attendees will be muted throughout today's webinar; thus, when presented with the option to joining to the audio conference, choose Listen Only, which appears at the bottom right Audio menu. Clicking listening only allows the sound to be broadcast through your computer speakers your headphones. Please make sure your speakers are turned on or your headphones are plugged in. If you are unable to connect to the audio with your computer or prefer to listen to the webinar by phone, please dial 1-800-832-0736, and enter access code 4189148#. 

Next, we will share some information about webinar accessibility. You may have noticed that the Adobe Connect platform has made some updates since the last time we were together. These updates will not affect today's webinar, but if you experience any technical difficulty, please use the Q&A pod to send us a message, or you can send us an e-mail at the Ticket to Work e-mail address, which is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. 

On the Adobe Connect platform, you will notice that on your screen there are four different boxes. These boxes are called pods. We have the presentation pod, where the slides appear. Below that is the closed captioning pod. In the top right-hand corner, you will see the Q&A pod, and below the Q&A pod is the Web Links pod. We will talk about these pods in more detail in just a few moments. 

If you need assistance navigating Adobe connect, an Accessibility User Guide with list of controls is available at http://bit.ly/adobe-accessibility. This link is also available in the Web Links pod at the bottom right-hand corner of your screen and is titled "Adobe Accessibility User Guide." 

Real-time captioning is available and is displayed in the captioning pod, which is the box that appears below the slide that is on your screen now. The captioning link can be found in the Web Links pod under the title "Closed Captioning." 

If you're fluent in ASL and would like support for today's webinar, follow the link below that provides instructions to connect with an interpreter through the Federal Communication Commission, FCC, Video Relay Service, VRS. The ASL User Guide can also be found in the Web Links guide under the title "ASL User Guide." 

We are here today to answer any questions that you may have on the Ticket to Work program. Please send your questions to us at any time throughout the webinar by typing them into the Q&A pod. We will direct the questions to our speaker during the Q&A portions of our webinar. We will be addressing questions at two different points throughout today's presentation, so go ahead and send in those questions, and we will do our best to answer as many of them as possible. If you're listening by phone and are not logged into the webinar, you may ask questions by sending an e-mail to the Ticket to Work e-mail address, which is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. 

Another resource that we think you will find extremely helpful in connecting to the different resources mentioned today is the Web Links pod, which you will find at the bottom right-hand side of your screen. This pod lists all the links to the resources presented during today's webinar. To access any of these resources, highlight the topic you are interested in and would like to connect to and then select "Browse To" button at the bottom of the pod and you will be taken to the website requested. If you are listening by phone and not logged into the webinar or don't have access to the Web Links pod, you can e-mail the Ticket to Work e-mail address, webinars@choosework/ssa.gov or reference the confirmation e-mail that you received for today's webinar for a list of available resources. Also, please note that SSA cannot guarantee and is not responsible for the accessibility of external websites. 

Today's webinar is being recorded and a copy of it will be available within two weeks on the choose work website, which can be accessed at http://bit.ly/WISE_OnDemand. This link, as well as any others shared today, can be found in the Web Links pod, and it will be titled "WISE Webinar Archives."

We hope everyone has a great experience on the webinar today; however, if you run into technical difficulty, please use the Q&A pod to e-mail us a message, or you can send us an e-mail at the Ticket to Work e-mail address, which is webinars@choosework.ssa.gov. 

As I mentioned earlier, my name is Sarah Hyland and I am a member of the Ticket to Work team. I am excited to be here with you today as you moderator. We are also delighted to have Ray Cebula with us today to share his knowledge of the Ticket to Work program. Ray received his law degree the University of New Hampshire's Franklin Pierce School of Law. He spent 23 years providing legal services to individuals with disabilities in their interactions with Social Security. He became part of Cornell University's Work Incentive Support Center in 2000, and in 2005, he joined the staff of Cornell's Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, where he now serves as the program director of YPI online, which is Cornell's Work Incentive Practitioner Credentialing Program. 

Thank you again for joining us today. We are going to discuss how Social Security's Ticket Program can help you and answer your questions relating to Social Security Ticket program, establishing work goals, identifying your employment team, receiving benefits counseling, and choosing the right service provider. 

At the close of today's webinar, you will better understand the Ticket program, be able to set work goals, know your employment team, and be able to choose a service provider to help you meet your employment goals. With that, it is my pleasure to introduce Ray Cebula to start us off with the Ticket to Work program and support on your journey to work and exploring your goals for work. Thanks so much, Ray. 

RAY>> Thank you, Sarah. It's good to be with you. Sarah, I just need to tell you, I'm having a bit of a computer issue, so I'm going to ask you to forward the slides for me, and I'm going to continue with my paper and telephone. 

SARAH>> Just say "next slide," and I'll advance for you. Thanks, Ray. 

RAY>> Okay. So, we're going to talk today about choosing your provider when you're trying to use that Ticket to Work that Social Security provides to you. And it's a very important step for you to take. Before we get into that, what I do want to remind you all, we are not going to take questions today about the pandemic or the Coronavirus, and you can find out what's going on and how Social Security has updated that site by visiting https://ssa.gov/coronavirus/, and if you're not in there every day checking, I am, so it's a good place to know where Social Security is when it comes to this stuff. 

So, if we could go, Sarah, to Slide 18, that would be great. This slide's talking about the pretty basic programs that Social Security is providing. These are the core of how your decisions are going to be made and what type of benefits and health care you have. Two programs, the first one is the Social Security Disability Insurance program, or SSDI. It is just what it says, it is an insurance program that provides you benefits for both retirement and, in the event that you need them on the way to retirement, for disability purposes. It's the disability portion that we're interested today. Those benefits come with Medicare, and the cash benefits that you receive is based on the amount of work you have done and the salaries that you have earned in the past. 

When we turn to the Supplemental Security program, SSI, it is truly a different world. This is a needs-based benefits that is provided to the aged, blind, or disabled population. It is provided to folks who have not worked enough to be insured or have not worked at all, and it does have some pretty strict income and resource limits to it. 

The important thing here is, when you begin to search for your provider here, you need to know exactly what benefit you're receiving, and you need to know -- you should know how much that is as well. That's going to help get everything straight for you, so that when you're talking with your provider, you will have that information. So, let's go on to the next slide, 19, please. 

The Ticket to Work program, which started in -- well it was signed by President Clinton December 17, 1999, and some of us have been tied to that program ever since. Starting this journey, you know, the good thing to know about the ticket is that it is free and it is voluntary. Only you can make the decision as to whether or not work is right for you, and that's going to depend a lot on where in this thought process you are and what you think about work right now. If you're not ready, wait. But when you are ready, know that that ticket is available to you, and you'll have a support team to help you get through the work. So, next slide, Sarah. 

Why the Ticket to Work? Earning a living through employment, we recognize is not something that everybody can do. Once people understand the services and supports that are available to them through the Ticket to Work, people look and say, hey, it's worth the risk. The benefits of this are outweighing the risks. So, I think you owe it to yourself to explore the options before you decide, no. So make an informed choice about that, and we'll get to how you make an informed choice beginning with the next slide. 

Again, the Ticket to Work is free and voluntary. If you don't want to go to work, nobody is going to force you to go to work. It's your choice. And what your team is there for is to help with getting training, determining whether or not your benefits will be affected, and that kind of thing so you know what's going to happen. 

The ticket can offer career development for people who are aged 18 through 64 and receive a Social Security disability benefit, either SSDI or SSI, and they want to work. So it's, again, worth thinking about and worth exploring. Next slide, please. 

What is that Ticket to Work? That Ticket to Work connects you with free employment services, and the basic questions are to decide whether or not work is right for you. Is it the time? How are you feeling? What are the risks? What are the benefits? Now we can make a decision. 

To prepare for work, you may need some training. Because of your disability, you may want to do your old job in a different way. Help finding a job, and succeeding at work, that's really an important one, because when I say "succeeding at work," it basically should be telling you that we're not going to find you a job and say bye-bye. You know, we are there to make sure you can maintain your work. If that means an adjustment in hours downward, yeah, we'll help you do that. If you're liking it and think you can do more, we'll help you with adjustment upward. If you need support in a job coaches services or anything you can imagine, we can help you arrange to get those supports. We're not going to leave you until you are a worker with a disability. Next slide, Sarah. 

Okay, exploring your work goals, we can move on to Slide 24 too. Why set work goals? Goals are very important. Everybody needs a goal. I mean, my goal on Saturday is to go to the grocery store. That tells me I need to prepare a list. So, the smallest things that we do can be seen as goals. When you're looking at that in terms of work, work is going to help you focus on a pathway, ideally to a career. The goals you set are going to help you measure your own progress so that when you do -- and we all do get frustrated with work at times -- you will be able to look at your goals and see exactly how much progress you've made. It will let you know that things were better than they were, so let's continue on. It will hold yourself accountable, like grocery lists hold me very accountable. I need to get what's on that list, and hopefully get there before the crowds. 

Same thing with your work goal. You will be held accountable by yourself to meet the goals that you set out. Some of those goals will be put together with you by your employment network, the provider here, and you need to comply with those goals and make progress. It does keep you motivated and keep you on track. It really does. My lists every day when I'm working, as I check them off, I'm making progress, and that progress motivates me to keep to the task, and, yet, it's very important to have that. So, when you are slipping off the rail, you can look at seen it's all going well. This is a bad moment, but we can get back on the track and continue to move forward. And all of this adds up to increasing your chances of success. So, they're very good strategies, as well as having those goals on a piece of paper somewhere. Tape it to your refrigerator. I often tell people to tape that to your refrigerator. When you finish one thing, check it off, and then you'll see how much progress you're actually making. Slide 25. 

What are your work goals? Well, that's, again, provided by this list of questions. What type of work do you like to do? If you haven't, what are your basic interests? I love the stories about transition age youth in there, you know, a kid comes into you with a skateboard, and he can take those wheels off and change everything and get that skateboard all ready to go. And, you know, I see a career, I don't see a hobby. I see the potential of working in a skateboard shop, with an ultimate goal of owning your own. So, an interest can be enough to get this moving. 

What kind of job do you want now? It's unlikely that any of us are going to move into managing Macy's. We're going to have to work our way up, so we might want to start in a retail setting, with the goal of management, you know, with the goal of a management position. So, that is the way we're going to think about this. 

And what kind of work do you want five years from now? We all need to know what type of work we're expecting ourselves to be in in the future, because that is another goal. If your goal is to manage the Men's Wear Department at Macy's, before you get to manage the store, then that's where I want to be five years from now. Next slide, Sarah. 

You also need to consider these questions. Again, we've moved into that long-term career goal. You know, we want to manage Macy's. Do you want to work at home? Do you want to go to work? Do you want to work in an office? Do you want to work outdoors? We're all kind of work at home, but if we were managing the Macy's store, we're going to work, and is that something you're able to do and desire to do? You know, working at home has a lot of options. I've been doing it now more than 20 years. I love it. If you don't think you'll be focused enough at home, then maybe an office is a good place. 

And maybe you're an adventurer, you know, you like to hike, you like to explore, and an outdoor is what you want. Or you like to garden, you know, gardening is a wonderful thing. It's great therapy. Yeah, if you want to do that professionally, it's your interest, it's your hobby, that might be a good career goal. And do you want to be self-employed or work for somebody else? When I made the decision long ago, I don't want to be self-employed. I like working for somebody else. That's good. If you want to become self-employed, you're actually going to need the help the Ticket to Work can provide, because you need that business Plan. You may need licenses. You may need some money for startup, and your team will most certainly be able to direct you to get those resources. Slide 27, Sarah. 

Once you know the kind of job you want, ask yourself what you need. How are you going to make this happen? Do you need information about specific job options in your area that meet what you want to do? How about training or education? You might want to take a course, take a certificate program that will get you trained to do the specific jobs you want. Or maybe if you choose self-employment, train you how to run that business. 

Resume writing and interviewing skills, you know, I think everybody who is starting a new job search needs some of that. As I like to say during this slide, my resume is 20 years old, and my guess is, if I pull it out, no employer is going to understand what it is, because drafting a resume changes over time. And interviewing skills, I think that having a few practice interviews and having a list of questions that you want to ask this prospective employer is a very important thing, and that can happen. You can sit down a have a mock interview. 

Very important to all of you is how does this work ethic and this earned income impact your benefits and health care? You know, that's a long discussion. We do have that discussion in-depth sometimes, but there are planners out there who will tell you when your benefits are going to be expected to be impacted, what will happen to your health care, which is most likely nothing for a very long time. And it's important that you know what is to happen when. If I'm working this year and I'm told that in September my benefits will be affected, I know what's coming in September, and, you know, that's a powerful position. That is an action position. It's not a reactive position. You're not waiting until someone says, whoops, here's a notice, your benefits are cut. That you need to know about. So those benefits planners can provide some great information about that stuff, and not only the Social Security benefits but outside that box, SNAP benefits, housing benefits. 

This last one is also the subject of a session that we do, reasonable accommodations and assistive technology. Do you need an accommodation on the workforce? If you do, you need to reveal and disclose that you have a disability, and that is your choice. But, you know, we have to do that to get the accommodation. Do you need help with that? Do you know exactly what kind of equipment or assistive technology you need? We can help you find out. We can give you some information about how much it's going to cost your employer if you request a reasonable accommodation, or maybe it's cheap enough that you want to buy it so you don't have to disclose your disability. You know, there are options, and we want you to have all of the options. 

So, Sarah, we're going to meet our employment team and move over to slide 29. Who can help you reach these goals? There are lots of people, and there's a whole list there. We'll talk about each group of people and each type of service. But for right now, the employment networks will provide you with free services to plan your return to work. The workforce ENs, they are the one-stop centers we used to call them, the American Job Centers. They have lots of names if you've been in this business a long time. They're also able to help you build a plan to return to work. 

State vocational rehabilitation services, they can provide you with the education funds that you need, get you hooked up with those certificate programs that you may need, and get you some equipment if you're looking to do your old job a different way. Work incentive planning and assistance, they're going to plan your benefits and let you know when things will happen. And the protection and advocacy for beneficiaries of Social Security, they are the legal weight, so there's somebody to run interference for you if you run into a legal problem on your way back to work. 

So, let's go to 30 and talk about employment networks. The employment networks are public or private organizations set up as a business that have an agreement, a contract with Social Security. That contract allows that employment network to provide you, the consumer, with free employment support services. It's kind of a three-way deal, you know. Social Security is agreeing to pay the employment network, and that employment network is getting paid based on your progress. So, when we say it's an agreement between Social Security and the ENs, remember that you're an important part of that triangle. Next slide, please. 

The employment network service area is different for every employment network. Some will provide services by area code or by city. Some provide services to multiple states. Some provide services to the entire country. When this program began 20 years ago, people were kind of uncomfortable about how they were going to deal with an employment network virtually. Well, I think we all got a really quick lesson on how that works, and it does work very effectively. We're all communicating via Zoom and computers and telephone, so that shouldn't steer you away from the employment network that you want to work with. 

How do they offer services? In person, that's limited right now because of Covid. Virtually, by phone or e-mail, or both? You know, we're getting to the position where I've seen some employment networks and some benefits planners actually meet with their consumers, so things are kind of improving on that front. It depends on what you want. You are shopping for an employment network. That's what your Ticket to Work is for. You know, you can find employment networks who will help you with a certain disability. Some will help you with another disability, and that's okay. If I am blind, I don't want somebody who only deals with other physical disabilities. I want someone who works with blind folks. So that's something you can search for as well. On to slide 32, Sarah. 

How can working with the EN help you? We go through all of those other steps that we already talked about. Even if you're just simply interested in talking and getting information, there are people you can talk to. Identify those work goals. Maybe you have a skateboard too, you know, and it might be gardening. It might be cooking, and that hobby that you have, that thing that you enjoy can now be turned into a job. I think that's a great thing, if you can do that. 

Help get that resume together, get you prepared for interviews. Again, giving you some guidance as to how you choose to disclose your disability, whether it's necessary or not, and what kind of reasonable accommodation would you need if you did go to work gardening. And benefits counseling, benefits counseling starts off with a whole plan, and it might take you out for the next five year. Well, you know, unfortunately life happens, and if an event happens that is going to allow you to increase work or requires you to decrease work, you visit the benefits planner again and get a tune up on that original plan. 

If we can move onto Slide 36, state VR agencies, these agencies are enormous. Every state has one. Some states have a different agency for blind folks. So, in Massachusetts, my old home state, we have Massachusetts Vocational Rehab and the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, so you go to the appropriate one. What can these agencies hem you with? Vocational rehabilitation most certainly, you know, if you haven't been rehabilitated to allow your body to function in the workplace or allow your head to get wrapped around that workplace, you know, we need to do that. We need to help people, again, do their jobs differently, get them the equipment, get them the coping mechanisms. Or if you want to start a new job that you don't necessarily have experience with but you like, training and education. You know, those are all big-ticket item, and the vocational rehabilitation agencies are a place we usually look to for that. And then, one again, remember, some states have a separate agency for people with blindness. Next slide, Sarah. 

Partnership Plus, this is like the best thing since sliced bread in my mind. Partnership Plus is something that will let you work with a state VR agency and then partner with an employment network when state VR says you're ready to go. State VR will look at you and take care of you and get you the training and the relocation you need, and then after a few months of work activity, will close your case. 

Now, with the Partnership Plus change, you can take your ticket to an EN, and the EN can serve you as well to provide those services that you need to bridge that gap between starting work and being a successful worker with a disability. It's a wonderful program, and it should be available to you in most states. There are a couple laggers, but we'll get them in touch real quick. How about 35, Sarah. 

What does a work incentive planning and assistance person do for you? You know, it's called the WIPA program. They are staffed by community work incentive coordinators. That's the title of the individual you're going to talk to. Benefits planner is a good way to refer to them as well. They're going to provide you free counseling services, discussing your Social Security benefits, howl much work is going to impact your benefits, what are your expected earnings, and what is exactly like will to happen. Your SSI, your Medicare, and all of your other public benefits are all going to be discussed in this plan. As your income goes up, your SNAP benefits are going to go down. You'll have more information to that. 

But what that general statement does is let me know and the, as a benefits planner, that I need to have you working enough hours to replace those SNAP benefits. And the goal of a benefits planner is to make sure you are in a better position than you were when you went to see that benefits planner. 

Who do they serve? The Ticket to Work Helpline is available, and you can find that in your Web Links pod to get you to the CWICs. You have to receive the benefit, remember that. Social Security disability insurance, you could receive Social Security disability insurance-related Medicare only, SSI or SSI-related Medicaid. That's a requirement that you need to meet. 

Are you currently working or self-employed? Do you have a job offer pending? If you have a job offer pending right now, you need to jump and go see your planner right away. Or are you actively interviewing for work, which means have you had an interview in the past 30 days? Have you had a job interview scheduled for the next two weeks? And there's a special transition group of special aid students, which I mentioned a while back, who are aged 14 to 25. Those kids or young adults are in the very early stage of considering work, and that becomes a family matter, doesn't it? You know, how are the household benefits going to be affected by this youth's work? The benefits planner will help you consider all of that to see whether or not everybody is on board in that household with this youth working, and with the right benefits planner services, I hope we can turn every youth with a disability into a worker with a disability rather than an adult with a disability. We just want to give those kids a chance. 

Slide 37, this was my last job before I joined Cornell. I was a PABSS, Protection and Advocacy for beneficiaries of Social Security benefits. What we did was provide free legal services to folk who received Social Security benefits based on disability and have a disability-related employment issue. That can include legal support; meaning I could sit down and talk to you and tell you how you might want to approach your employer if you don't want to have a lawyer involved in your employment setting, or advocacy, I could represent you before an employer that you asked the wrong question during an interview, or treated you in a discriminatory manner based on your disability. And we help pretty much everybody resolve those employment issues with at least information. And those could be concerns with employers, with Social Security, with your employment network, with the VR agencies, or with the benefits planning program. And we are there to run interference, and it was actually a pretty good job. It was a good job. 

On the next slide, 38, Sarah, the PABSS services can help you navigate the organization and services to support your effort to work. What if you need assistive technology? Well, I may not be the right attorney to get that for you or to help you pick something like that, but I can get you to the assistive technology agency in my state. If you run into difficulties and if somebody denies you assistive technology, then you come back to me, and I could represent you through the hearing process or have discussions with people to make things happen. 

Requesting reasonable accommodations, get in college classes, training courses, licensing programs, and in the workplace, you're entitled to those accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. And if you need or feel the need to talk to somebody about how to approach your college professor about getting an accommodation, or is he the right person to talk to? You know, you might want to talk to the school counseling agency, the school counseling office to get those accommodations started. All of this stuff, we can help with. 

We can give you the equipment and the language and the knowledge you need to do it yourself, or we can assist you in that process. And, also, addressing others disability-based legal issues, which are barriers to employment, whether it's a barrier do get you into the job or a barrier do keep you on the job, people should be there. So, you've got a pretty wonderful team to work with here that can get you through just about everything, and, you know, we're here to work with you to get your employment goals met. Slide 39, Sarah. 

How do you find a provider? Once you're ready to start, after you've thought about whether you're ready to do this or not. You can visit choosework.ssa.gov/findhelp. This is another website I use a lot, you know, because we need to find a benefits planner in Arkansas, and I need to use this search engine and put in a Zip Code in Arkansas, and, automatically, the benefits planner pops up. If you need to search for an employment network, who has somebody on staff that speaks Spanish, you can type that into the search engine, and the employment networks will come up. This is a wonderful tool, and you can find employment networks, the workforce ENs, VR agencies. Both the WIPA and the PABSS program will all be there. And you can search for everything, all five of those things in your state, or just say, "I want the WIPA program," and that will come up. It's a really, really great website. 

All right, I think we get a break now for questions, Sarah. 

SARAH>> We sure do. Thanks so much, Ray, for kicking us off on the Ticket to Work program. As you said here, we're going to pause here to take a few minutes to address some of the questions we've received from the audience on the topics that you've gone over. The first question I have for you, Ray, is, at this time, I know I want to work, but I'm not sure if I am physically and mentally ready. Is it better to try finding a job with Ticket to Work, or should I wait? 

RAY>> That's up to you. I think both ways will work. If you do feel like you need some test jobs to test your ability, test what that ability and capacity is, you could work with an employment network. Maybe if you need a credentialing course or something like that an opportunity to do an internship, or we could find you a paid work experience that will let you do exactly what you need done to assess your capacity to work. Regardless of the reason for that, these work experiences and internships and things give you that notion. 

You don't have to start at 40 hours. That's the catch here, you don't need to do that. Your goal over the long term is to get there, but if you want to try a little bit of work, you know, you might want to even find your own part-time job and see if it's working, and then when you realize, okay, I'm all set, I think I can work a sufficient to engage in employment network to get the other job that you really want, then it's time. But, remember, do this at your own speed and your own comfort level. 

SARAH>> Great advice, Ray. I have another question for you. One of my goals is to get some additional training. Will my benefits stop if I go back to school? 

RAY>> No, no, no, no, and particularly if you're working with an EN. You know, when you assign that Ticket to Work, Social Security suspends your medical review, and your ability to work is going to be somewhat based on your education as well. But if those reviews are suspended, the ticket has given you protection so that you can finish school. 

You know, nobody wants this to backfire on anybody. I mean, if you're going to school, someone's going to notice that and they're going to wait until you finish school to see what's going on. And if you Ticket to Work is assigned to an employment network, they're even going to look then. They're going to make note of it, you finished a two-year degree program. Now let's see what goes on. And you're not going to have that review until you're finished, until you're settled in the job. So, going to school will not affect your benefits at all. 

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. The next question I have for you is, how can a Ticket to Work service provider help me once I've started working? 

RAY>> Excellent question. You know, people may be able to get their own jobs, and lots of people do. What happens when you're on the job and you realize, oh, I might need some extra help? Or if I did things this way rather than the way they want me to, it would be easier for me, and I'd still be productive, any kind of thing like that that comes up. You know, do you think you may need a job coach? Not even on a workforce, but a job coach to talk to you on Saturday so that you can say, hey this is what happened at work, what do you think I should do about it? Those kinds of services are also available, because remember when I started talking, the Ticket to Work is not here to get you a job and leave. The Ticket to Work is to help you become that worker with a disability so that you can go on your own and work. You know, absolutely, that ticket can be used after you receive a job, and you can find an employment network to talk to you and help you meet those needs. 

And the other services that we talked about, the benefits planning services, not too late if you already began work to find out what might happen in a couple of years. That's a good thing. So, you can access those services, or the PABSS if the employer does something that doesn't seem right to you. Maybe that's the time that you want to call the PABSS. So, yeah, absolutely, the answer is yes. 

SARAH>> Thanks, Ray. I have another question for you. Can the Ticket to Work program help me with starting my own business? 

RAY>> It most certainly can. And I think that the Ticket to Work is one of the best ways to see if you are looking to become self-employed in order to start your own business, because there are lots of things you need. You know, if you have a benefits planner, they can talk to you about that. If you're looking at how to set up a business, the employment network may not be able to run to town hall to get you a licensed, but they can tell you how to do that. They are going to help you develop a business plan or potentially call, and they can help you with that. 

You need a lot of preparation to start a business. You just don't roll that card out onto the board walk in the summertime and selling some screened T-shirts. You know, you need that equipment first. You need to have someone provide you with some T-shirts for practice. You need to have some kind of income that we may be able to get for you through small grants to get your business jumpstarted. Those employment networks know where all that stuff is, so I would think anybody who wants to start their own business wants to start with an EN search. 

SARAH>> All right, thank you, Ray. The next question I have for you is, what do I do if I want to change my employment network? 

RAY>> All right, you know, you can change your employment network for any reason. You're not getting the services that were promised in your plan, you know, you have the idea of opening your own business and the employment network has you flipping burgers at McDonalds, you know, there's no meeting of the minds. We're not on the same page anymore. Or a new EN opened up three blocks from my house, and this is going to allow me face-to-face services that I can easily access, any reason, any reason at all. 

Now, when you do change your employment network, the first step is to notify the current EN that you're going to make a change. That can be in writing, preferably, but you could do that verbally over the phone as well, just so you know, just so that EN knows that you are going to be leaving their program to go to another. You need to report that to Social Security. If you do just take your ticket before you find the EN, you have a 90-day period. That ticket protection will be there while you search for an EN and get your new plan in place. 90 days sounds like it's a good long time, but, you know, finding an EN is going to take some time, and most certainly building your plan is going to take some time, so it's really not. You need to get on this. And then report to Social Security, I found a new EN. My ticket is assigned. The employment network will have your ticket ready for assignment and all will work just fine. Just keep in contact with people while you're doing it. 

SARAH>> Okay, Ray, although we have many more questions for you, which we will address later the webinar, we're going to stop and turn things back over to you so you can discuss service providers in more detail. Thanks, Ray. 

RAY>> All right, thank you, Sarah. All right, so, working with your service providers, you know, this is part of that whole choosing. Remember, you can choose these providers before you work with them. So, once you get your team lined up, we're on slide 42, and we're going to talk about that. When you're talking with your provider, you may want to ask them some questions. If you're interviewing your EN, I hope you have a list of two or three that you want to talk to. And how does that EN provide services to other people that have your disability, or something similar to it, or do they at all? If you're their first person with multiple sclerosis, you may want to talk to that second EN, or the third one, and see if they have experience working with folks with your disability. 

Again, as I said before, if this employment network that I call, well, we help people with musculoskeletal disabilities, but we've never had a client with blindness, that is a hint to you that they may not be equipped to do the job for you. Or they may very well say come on down, and we'll learn, if you'll let us, if you'll be our guinea pig. I mean that very well, in a very intended way, because lots of folks are looking to get other experiences and broaden their horizon. 

What types of jobs have you found other people with the similar skills? Here, again, what do you want to do and what kind of job are you likely to be placed in, those should match. Do you work with clients in person, over the phone, or virtually? Well, I do have an office that's right downtown, and you can come down there, but for the current time where we're limiting the number of people into the office, but as things get better, yeah, in person. Right now, we're doing a lot of work virtually, and he needs to know some of those ENs are going to tell you, we work virtually only, are you comfortable with that? That is your decision. 

And what happens after I give you my ticket and say I want to assign it to you, I have chosen you as my EN? They will tell you what the process is of activating that ticket is and who will you sit down with to talk about you plan with the EN, your work plan. Who else can you bring in? Who else do they have on staff that can do you benefits planning, or do I need to go outside for that? There are lots of things you're going to want to know about how these different agencies all work, and that's after limiting. Of course, you don't need to call all of them, but you're going to limit to the ones you want and find out who is going to give you the services you need in a way that you will be most able to use them? Next slide, Sarah. 

What services do you need to achieve those goals? Again, we have the basics here, resume writing, interviewing skills, benefits counseling. You know, you're going to need all of those. But what else are you going to need? Are you going to need a credentialing course? Do you want to get a two-year degree as part of that plan, or do you just need assistive technology to do some work? All of those should be services that you can get, and you need to make sure that this employment network is able to do that for you. 

And, you know, what service provider is going to help you achieve your work goal? That's the conclusion you need to come with. If you are coming to the decision to work and you interview three employment networks, and you really are interviewing, what one is going to be best? That's the question. You make that decision. So, keep in mind some of these questions. 

Slide 44, how were you treated when you spoke with them on the phone? How were you treated when you walked into their office? Were they friendly? Were they treating you as another customer who pulled up to the drive-through at the bank? Were they friendly? Did they seem willing to work with you? Does this EN or state VR agency provide everything you need, and if they don't provide it in-house, can they pull somebody in from outside? 

How does the service provider compare with the other ones? This is taking notes and making a list. You know, what services do you need? Well, the first one has almost all of them, the second one is missing a couple, and the third one looks like they're very close, but said that business plan could be written by in-house side entities. So, it seems like three is going to get me everything I want with one-stop-shopping. I like that, so I'm going to pick that one. 

Do you know anybody else who has worked with that service provider? You know, talk with your friends. Talk with your family. Anybody else who has tried to work with this agency, what's it like? What it's like to work with them? The more information you've got, the better you're going to be, and the more successful your life will be. Okay, on to Slide 45, please. 

That path to success, and that's what we call it and that's what we want it to be. Everyone's path to financial independence through work is going to be different. I have worked with people who, like one of our questioners, wants to test their ability so that they know what their capacity for work is. I've had other clients who just tell me, I'm ready to go back. If I can go back to my old job full time, that's what I want to do, and I'll work the 40-hour week. I'm ready. So, you have to identify your own goals, and you have to create a plan to reach those goals, and set a timeline. That's what your EN will be doing. 

Your job is to help build that goal and to help with the timeline so that you can make progress with the plan. That plan is going to be individualized to you. You are going to help make it. If you want assistance, that's something the PABSS agency can go in, you can attend those meetings, or a family member. That's okay, and that's if that's how you feel comfortable working. 

You're going to need to understand what your responsibilities when you start going to work. Remember that all of the disability benefits are going to consider work, and some of your benefits are going to be affected within three months. Other might take nine months in order to see an impact in your benefits. You need to know what you need to do to make that happen. If you don't report your income on a monthly basis, Social Security is not going to know about it. They're not going to be able to put you in the place where you need to be. 

Do you have things like related work expenses? If you do, you need to report those when changes occur. If you're taking a prescription drug and you have the $4 co-pay and you get that drug changed at your physician's office and the new one has a $6 co-pay, we need to tell Social Security that. All the stuff is your responsibility. The work and the earnings and, potentially, any changes in your resources, whether they're going up or going down, you need to report that to Social Security. 

And follow your plan. If your goal is to finish two a two-year degree in two years, that is your goal. If something interrupts that progression, come back to the employment network, I just your plan and get it off to Social Security so they're on the same page. Very many important to keep all of your team members on the same page. 

All right, let's see some additional resources. We've got lots of great options for you here. So, we're going to talk about those starting on slide 47. If you're looking for an employment network to get started on that path to financial independence or choosing the right network for you, your factsheet can help, choosing the right employment network for you. Where do you find that? Use this resource that we're going to get to to answer questions that can help you choose that provider or explain the process and how this works when you do find the provider. And I'm going to read that website to you. That's http://bit.ly/choosing-EN. Those are factsheets for you. 

What about finding a job, Slide 48? You can get started with your own job search. The wanted pages in the newspaper or some searches on your computer, you may want to find some of those sites that will let you know when jobs are available here in New Mexico, and we have a state website that will constantly report to you what jobs are open where, and you pick and choose from that. I'm not saying there's one there that you want right now, but one that's going to get you to your goal. Maybe it's the one to get you to determine your capacity. We've all done jobs we didn't want to do while we were making our way. 

Do you need help finding a job? All right, find a job. There is the find-a-job line in your website link, and it's going to get your search jumpstarted if you access to a computer and the internet and connect you with resources that can help you to advance that search so that you can actually begin that employment journey. 

Slide 49, getting updates, these WISE webinars talk about everything. You know, we have talked about everything that has to do with the Ticket to Work, and this one, particularly about finding some of these resources so you can get started. You want to know more about monthly WISE webinars, go to the WISE webinar link in your web pod and join us for the next one. They're every month, every month, the last Wednesday of the month, and you can get a link to join to get information so you'll be on the announcement list when they come out and register well ahead of time. 

I mean, are you interested in finding out more about the Ticket to Work. Again, this website, Social Security generally has a very good website, and it's fairly user friendly. I like to say if I can do it, you can do it. Choose work, there's a Blog. It's in your web pod again, the Web Links pod. Isn't it great that we can provide you with updates about new information that's coming down the road that might help you? I think that's a wonderful thing. 

You may even want to look at some of the other things in that Choose Work link, because if you want to see other people who have used their Ticket to Work and been successful, there are great success stories in there, and they are really motivational pieces of work, because they will tell you what somebody else with a disability experienced through the disability process, through getting well enough to continue work, through getting that job and what they're doing now. 

In one webinar, I remember we had a person who was currently working, talked to us about her experience. So there's lots of great places for you to get information, get motivated, and begin this journey. And I think we're up to questions again. 

SARAH>> All right, thanks, Ray. The first question I have for you is, I was offered a remote from-home job, but I need a computer and headset to do the job. Can the Ticket to Work program help me get the equipment I need to perform this job? 

RAY>> Yes, it can. Yeah. And I think that's a great example that I can use, because a computer is a good expensive piece of equipment, and the headset, you know, depending on which type of headset you need, can be fairly expensive. So, you know, we may not get some expensive stuff like that from an employment network, or the employment network may send you to the state VR agency to get that, and that's clearly something within the realm of possibility. It may be expensive for that small EN to do, but's not expensive for VR. 

And when you're talking with VR, what else do you need? You know, do you need a screen reader? Do you need a larger keyboard to make this computer work? All of that stuff, the modifications you may need, can all be provided, and it's all through the Ticket to Work, but with different team members. 

SARAH>> All right, great. Thank you so much, Ray. I have another question for you. I am hoping to start a non-profit organization. Is there guidance available for such an effort? 

RAY>> Absolutely. That's almost like self-employment, if you're going to be controlling this nonprofit entity. And you're going to need to talk with an EN, because you're going to need to know what non-profit agencies in your state can actually do and what they can't do. In order to get that non-profit status, there are special ruled involved, and you've got to have a good hedge on that. Otherwise, this is pretty much like creating a self-employment situation, and everybody's going to be well versed in that, and you're going to just want to know, does your EN help develop non-profit agencies. If that's your goal, how are you, as the director of this non-profit, getting your salary paid? So they're going to help you organize that, as well as doing some research to find out what are rules in your state that control non-profits. So, I think that's a great option. There's going to be very little that's beyond the pale of this program, I think. 

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. I have another question for you. I know that you may have mentioned this before, but can you confirm that an employment network can help me find educational opportunities as well. 

RAY>> Absolutely. You know, I mean, that's part of their job. That's one of the basics. When you are looking to do a job, and, again, when you're finding that EN, do they help people in your field, in your desired field to get education so you can secure a job? Do they help anybody get education? You know, it's hard for me to see anything but the largest EN actually saying we'll pay your tuition for you. But do they know where you can get help with that? And I'm thinking that, as an EN, I would want to send you to the state VR agency just for the purpose of getting evaluated and getting some funding for that education. So, that's absolutely right.

And you may come to me as an employment network and say, you know, I want to do X, and I think I need a two-year degree. And maybe I can tell you that there is a six-month credentialing course that's going to get you just what you want, and we can get you on your journey faster. There's going to be a lot to talk about, but, absolutely, they should be able to help provide direct services, or most certainly services through another agency. That's where you going to see your team actually working together. 

SARAH>> All right, thank you, Ray. The next question is, can a service provider help me with transportation for work? Are there any work incentives that can help with transportation? 

RAY>> You asked a double-barreled question, and that's a good one. Most certainly an EN can help do that. If you're in a city and there are bus passes or subway passes and those systems are accessible to you, yeah, absolutely. There are other work incentives, such as the plan to achieve self-support, you know, that require a work goal. So I'm going to give you the example I normally give. If I want to be a teaching assistant, I need a two-year degree, can you help me get that education? Yeah, we'll pull in VR services. And I'm going to need a car to go to work. Well, we're going to build a PABSS plan that will allow you to both secure the education and to save money on the SSI resource level so that you can purchase a car. And the one rule about PABSS plans is you can't become a car, but you can become a teacher who needs a car to go to work. So those are certainly there. They've just got to be developed. 

SARAH>> All right, thank you, Ray. The next question I have for you is, once I identify a service provider, about how long does the process take? Will service providers continue to follow up with me even after I have the job? 

RAY>> Well, all of that should happen. When you find an employment network and you decide you want to work with an employment network, that process shouldn't take too long. It depends very much on your plan. How involved is that plan going to be? What is your long-term goal, as opposed to the short-term goal? But you need to build in time to Zoom with the employment network, to meet with them in their office if that's available, and talk things through. So, it may be that it takes three weeks to get an appointment. It may be developing that plan and getting it ready for you to review it and comment and make changes, and then get it to Social Security could take another month or so. So, I would bet most ENs have their first plan, for people who serious about this, ready within two or three months, and then it's matter of getting it to Social Security. They are approved really quickly. They can be approved in 24 hours, and then getting busy getting to work. 

SARAH>> All right, thank you, Ray. I have another question for you. Can you remind me what the difference is between an EN and a workforce EN? 

RAY>> Okay, I always have to remind myself. The ENs are private agencies. They're businesses, you know. And we have providers they could be just me who wants you get to work, and they are, again, profit-making businesses. Now you're not paying them a fee, but Social Security is. The workforce ENs are the one-stop-shop centers that have been out there for years, and they are just available to anybody, you know, whether you have a disability or not, who may become unemployed and may want to file for unemployment, may want to use their computer banks to search for jobs, and, in this case, may take your ticket to help you get to work. So, it's a more open entity. 

If you want to just go in there, if I want to just go in there and learn how to build a new resume because I'm looking for a job, I do that. If you want to go in there and use them as your EN, that's great. Again, that early questioner who said, how do I determine my capacity? Well, maybe talking to the work force EN is a great opportunity to use to get some direction on how to find a job, not the job but a job, so that you can test that ability to work. And when you find out what your capacity is, then move onto the EN to get the job. So, that's really a more open job, but they can most certainly that I can that ticket and work specifically with you on a plan to get to work. 

SARAH>> All right, thank you, Ray. Could you clarify, am I allowed to work in the same state that I don't live in? 

RAY>> Oh, yeah. I mean, that's not an issue, really. You know, when I lived in Massachusetts, I can't tell you how many people came down to Massachusetts from New Hampshire. When I was leaving Massachusetts to get on the highway to drive to Boston airport, there were folks from Maine commuting into Boston. There were folks from Rhode Island taking the train. So, crossing state borders is not an issue. The only issue is how far are you from the state border, because in New England, you can throw a rock that far. But here out in New Mexico, it's hours to the state border. That doesn't stop me from being about to work in Colorado. 

The question I would have for my EN is, do you work with New Mexico residents who work in Texas or Arizona, you know, who cross a border to get to work? There's probably not a whole lot to stop an EN from doing that. You're the one that's living in their service area. The job doesn't have to be in that service area. 

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. And the next question I have from a participant is, are there services available at my local SSA office? 

RAY>> The services that are available at your local SSA offices are most certainly those that are your responsibility. You're going to report income there. You're going to report your resources. You're going to be reporting any work changes that happen, whether it be salary, whether it be hours, and all of that kind of stuff. They are doing all of the work behind the scenes, making sure your benefits are in order, and that's based on your report. If you do want to sit down with somebody in Social Security, now is not a good time to do that. But when things open up again, yeah, the Social Security claims rep can tell you with a PABSS plan, help answer questions about that. They can also talk to you about some of the work incentives that are involved. 

I would hope that the local Social Security office would send you to a benefits planner after giving you that information, because they're on your team always. They're there, you know, and we need to understand that they are doing things to help your work effort go along just by making sure you get the work incentives that you need and make sure your benefits are in order according to your salary, so they're very important. But, yes, if you want to go down to your claims rep and have a chat about going to work, they will do that with you. 

SARAH>> Thank you, so much, Ray. The next audience question is, can you recommend where I can find information about apprenticeship programs? 

RAY>> You know, I'm going to -- gosh, I know I have resources on that, I just don't have that by hand. You're going to want to talk to agencies like [JAN], get online. They're pretty good at helping get folks hooked up to that. And your EN, you know, if you want to do an apprenticeship, what a great way to find out what you your capacity to work is. If you take a 20-hour-a-week apprenticeship and not only get the skills that you need to go to a job, paid job, but you're also able to assess in a very safe environment with 20 hours right. Do I need to get a job at 15, or do I need to get a job at 30, because 20 hours isn't enough? I think most people find that when they project, I think I can do 20, and they get to work and they find how exciting it can be, you know, you're going to quickly say, I was wrong, I can do 30. But those apprenticeships are great. 

And, you know, the service providers that we're talking about today, I think the EN is best. There are lots of websites where you can find that too. But if you're looking to put a plan together in order to go to work, most certainly working with the EN would get that done for you. 

SARAH>> Thank you, Ray. And we have some additional resources for apprenticeship information. You can go to apprentice.gov and, of course, you can go to the Choose Work website as well to find information on apprenticeship. And, of course, you can attend our next WISE webinar, which will be held on Wednesday, February 24th, 2021, and the topic will be Expanding your Job Search with the Ticket to Work. Thanks, Ray. 

RAY>> Thank you, Sarah. Thanks for that help. 

SARAH>> Of course. And we have one more question before we, unfortunately, have to wrap up the questions for today. So, the final question is, if I find a job with the Ticket to Work program, does it have to be part time, or I am able to find a full-time job? 

RAY>> Oh, your goal when you sign up with an employment network should be to work to your maximum capacity, and what we consider that, right now, is a full-time job. So, that's the goal. Is it okay to start with a part-time job? Absolutely. The employment network is going to want to see you progress to the point where you're financially independent of Social Security. So, if I have to put a goal in cold terms, that's it. You know, we're trying to make you’re an independent financial entity. And if that requires you to start part time, that's great. If it requires you, if you choose to start full time and need to back up a bit, then that's great too. So, yeah, a part-time job or a full-time job is going to be acceptable to an EN, and that is up to you. If they find you a full-time job and say, well, you know, I this you can do it and you're having reservations, maybe you want to talk to them about making that fewer than 40 hours a week. And, remember, again, it's your comfort at your own pace. 

SARAH>> Of course, and these are all great options for starting your path on financial independence; right, Ray? 

RAY>> Absolutely. Absolutely. 

SARAH>> Okay, thank you so much for being with us here today, Ray, and sharing your knowledge of the Ticket to Work program. Like I said, we are, unfortunately, out of time for questions for today's webinar. Thanks, again, Ray. 

RAY>> Thank you. 

SARAH>> Social Security Ticket to Work program has a number of service providers and other resources ready to help you get started. To get a list of providers in your area or to get answers to questions that you may have about the ticket program and other work incentives, you can contact the Ticket to Work Helpline at 1-866-968-7842, or for TTY 1-866-833-2967, Monday through Friday, and that's 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or you can visit the Ticket to Work website at choosework.ssa.gov at any time. You can also find us on social media or subscribe to the blog and e-mail updates by visiting choosework.ssa.gov/contact/index.html. This link appears in the Web Links pod under Ticket to Work Contact Information. 

To get advice and encourage and read success stories from people who have had successful help from the Ticket to Work program, you can receive text messages from the ticket program, text ticket, T-i-c-k-e-t, to 474747. Standard messaging rates may apply, and you may opt out at any time. 

Please join us for the next WISE webinar, Expanding Your Job Search with Ticket to Work, which will be held on Wednesday, February 24th, 2021, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration is open, and we look forward to having you attend. To register online, go to choosework.ssa.gov/wise, or you can always call 1-866-968-7842, or for TTY 1-866-833-2967. 

Your feedback is very important to us and it helps us plan for future webinars. Please provide your feedback and tell us what you think about today's webinar by taking our survey. To take the survey, you can follow the link that will pop up after the webinar, or you can visit the Ticket to Work website to complete the survey. The survey can also be found in the Web Links pod. Thank you again for attending today to learn about the Ticket to Work program. Please take this opportunity to reach out to any of the resources we discussed today, and take the next steps in your career path. This concludes today’s webinar. I hope you have a wonderful evening. Thank you.